Your Mask
by coralsky
Summary: "Your name?" Yellow asked. "N," he replied. "No, your real name," Yellow insisted. N hesitated. "Only if you tell me yours." - Aliasshipping, Yellow x N. Contains Feelingshipping and slight Specialshipping too. Since there's no Aliasshipping-based fanfics. Rated T cause I'm paranoid. Enjoy!
1. Threats

"He what?" Blue's voice filled the air as she started screeching into the PokeGear. "Prof Oak, you can't be serious!"

"Blue, please calm down," Professor Oak pleaded. "Just get the others over to my lab and I'll explain everything."

"You... you aren't joking?' Blue spluttered. "But this can't be happening!"

"Blue! There's not much time left! Get the other DexHolders over, now!" Oak ordered and switched off his PokeGear. His shoulders slumped when he glanced at the strange letter which lay on his desk. One word stood out from the black and red type on the paper. _Pokedex..._

* * *

"Explain."

Professor Oak jumped out of his seat, startled. He turned around to see Blue with the rest of the other DexHolders. All of them were there - the Kanto quartet, the Johto trio, the Hoenn trio and even their latest additions, the Sinnoh trio. The three youngest looked rather nervous at being in the presence of their older (and probably scarier) seniors, and the renowned Professor Oak.

"You could have just knocked," Oak said.

Green narrowed his eye. "Why did you gather all of us here for? And why did you ask Blue to do it?"

"Blue's the most sociable! If I asked you, probably only the Kanto and the Johto people would have come," Oak answered. "This way, I knew that everyone would be here."

"Get to the point, old uncle," Gold yawned. "What happened?"

Professor Oak passed the letter to Green. "Please read it. This letter is from Mr Ghetsis."

Green's eyes widened when he saw the words. He looked at Professor Oak questioningly and Oak nodded. Green swallowed hard and spoke. "Dear Professor Oak, I greatly respect your opinion and your knowledge on Pokemon. Truly, your invention of the Pokedex has been most beneficial to humans and Pokemon alike. However, it has come to my notice that the group of people who have been given Pokedexes by you - the DexHolders - are not suitable to own a Pokedex."

"WHAT?" Gold and Red shouted. "That's not true!"

"He said that?" Crystal paled. "But why?"

Sapphire was on her feet in an instant. "I'd dare him to say that again to my face! See how this DexHolder is not suitable to own a Pokedex!"

"Calm down, Sapphire," Ruby said. "Let Green continue!"

"Pokemon were not meant to be enslaved by humans. They were meant to run free in the wild and natural environment, not trapped in a small ball. The Pokedex was created as a tool to study Pokemon, but lately the DexHolders have been abusing that privilege. Those DexHolders are a bad example to people everywhere. They encourage more people to catch and train Pokemon, causing harm to Pokemon are frequently put into dangerous battles without care for their well-being. Not a single one of them truly cares about their Pokemon."

"That's not... not true," Yellow stuttered. She blinked rapidly, her eyes getting misty. "How could he say that?" Blue went over and wrapped her arms around the smaller girl, comforting her.

Green continued, "As such, I have decided that all the Pokedexes shall be returned to me. I own the original patent on them, and thus I own all Pokedexes. Rest assured that the Pokedexes will be put to good use. My son N will be travelling with a Pokedex to help to encourage people to stop enslaving Pokemon. I understand that the DexHolders may need some time getting used to the idea. By the end of this year, 31st December, I shall expect to receive all 10 Pokedexes. I do hope you see the wisdom in my decision and return them to their proper owner. Thank you. Yours Sincerely -"

"Who does that guy think he is?" Gold yelled, cutting off Green. "He can't just take our Pokedexes like that! What gave him the right?"

"Professor, you can't let him do this to us!" Blue seethed. "He's just a bully!"

"Mr Ghetsis is very rich and famous. He is well-known in social circles," Platinum pondered. "But he doesn't own our Pokedexes... does he?" All eyes turned to Oak.

Oak shifted uneasily. "The thing is... Ten years ago I had developed the Pokedex, but I didn't have the proper technology to actually create and produce it. Mr Ghetsis was the one who helped me find the parts and finalize the Pokedex. Without him, I could never have accomplished it. In return, I let him have the patent. It seemed like a small thing at that time."

"So basically you gave him the rights to all Pokedexes." Green looked appalled. "Grandpa, didn't you think?"

"I did!" Oak protested. "But I never thought he would actually try to claim it. He seemed as sincere as I was in creating the Pokedex to benefit everyone!"

"And what if we refuse to return it?" Silver frowned. "What would he do?"

"He can't exactly force us," Pearl pointed out. "If we defended ourselves, there'd be no need to surrender our Pokedex."

"Don't even try."

Everyone froze at the sound of the cold voice and turned around slowly. A tall, green-haired man stood in front of them smirking cruelly. "Hello," he said, fixing his eyes on Oak. "We meet again."

Oak locked eyes with the man. "Everyone..." he gestured. "This is Ghetsis."

* * *

"So you're the guy who's trying to steal our Pokedexes?" Sapphire glared at Ghetsis. She probably would have jumped out of her seat and tackled him had Ruby not caught her arms from behind.

"Not steal, my dear. Merely claim what was mine in the first place," Ghetsis corrected. "You must be the charming Sapphire."

Sapphire gaped at him. "How did you know?"

"I always do my research," Ghetsis smiled. "Your father is Professor Birch, you were born in Littleroot Town..."

"That's enough," Red interrupted, seeing Sapphire's shocked face. "We get your point. What are you here for?"

"The Battler." Ghetsis nodded at him. "Why, I'm here to see that you keep your word after all."

"We're not going to give in to you." Emerald stepped up. "People like you don't deserve Pokedexes."

"That's too bad. I'd hoped we could do this peacefully, but it looks like you stubborn kids won't budge," Ghetsis said. He pulled a small remote out of his pocket. "Lucky guess!" He pressed a blue button on the remote and there was a sudden beeping sound.

"Its coming from Diamond's Pokedex!" Blue pointed at Diamond's vibrating pocket. Dia blinked sleepily and retrieved his Pokedex. "What's wrong?" He looked confused at all the commotion as his attention had been focused on the banana he had stolen from Sapphire' Tropius.

Gold snatched the Pokedex from Dia's hands and tried to access the data. To his horror, there was nothing on the Pokedex. The screen was blank. Gold shook it in frustration. "What did you do to it?" he cried.

Silver took the Pokedex and unscrewed the back. He gasped as he saw a single, corroded microchip. He held it up to show the others and it crumbled into dust, blown away with the wind.

"You!" Crystal covered her mouth and stepped backwards. "You destroyed Dia's Pokedex!"

Pearl clenched his fists. "You did that to Dia? You're gonna pay!" he growled. He swung a fist at Ghetsis, only to find Green blocking him. "Get out of my way, senior!" Pearl attempted to push Green away, but Green held on to his hand.

"Stop! If Ghetsis could do that to Diamond's Pokedex, think of what he could do to yours! Do you want your Pokedex to be destroyed like his was? Come to your senses, Pearl!" Green ordered. Pearl calmed down and lowered his fist. He walked over to Dia and patted him on his back. "Sorry, Dia. But I swear I'll make him pay."

"Wise choice, Green Oak. With this remote I can easily destroy any of your Pokedexes. And even better," Ghetsis grinned, pointing at a red button. "I can destroy everything. If I press this button here, one of your Pokedexes will explode."

"You're insane!" Ruby said, shocked. "If you blow this place, you'll be killed too." He stared incredulously at Ghetsis.

"Or maybe not." Ghetsis pointed at a small silver earring he wore. "I designed the bombs myself - of course I put in a safety catch. As long as I have this on me, I am protected from the bomb."

"But... but Ghetsis, why? I thought you were helping me all along. And you've done all this secret work on the Pokedexes... for what?" Oak's face was pained as he stared at the man he had once called his 'friend'. Suddenly he staggered, clutching his chest. Green hastily ran forward to support his grandfather, helping the old man to a chair.

Ghetsis's gaze hardened as he stared at Oak. "You never learn, do you?" He turned his attention back to the DexHolders. "Remember what I said. The Pokedexes in my possession by 31st December - or everything will be wiped out." He started walking out but paused at the doorstep.

"What other tricks do you think I installed?"

* * *

"We can't let him do this to us," Red vowed. He was pacing back and forth angrily in the Oaks' living room. The rest of the DexHolders were watching him, either sitting on the couch or leaning against the wall. All of them were frantically trying to think of a solution. After Ghetsis had left, Blue and Silver immediately checked all the Pokedexes to see whether they had been bugged. They found nothing but for now, the Pokedexes were locked away in a soundproof room. Daisy was taking care of Professor Oak in his bedroom upstairs.

"What can we do? Its not like we can refuse," Yellow said worriedly. "He'll just destroy the data, or even kill all of us."

"Senior, don't talk like that! We'll think of a solution," Sapphire said. "There has to be a way!"

"But Ghetsis has all loopholes covered," Green replied. "It doesn't look like we can do anything about it."

"What, so you're just going to give in to him like that?" Blue narrowed her eyes at Green. "I never thought you were the type to give up. _I'm _not giving in."

"I can't afford to lose all my data." Crystal's voice trembled. "After all that hard work I put in... I'd rather have my Pokedex in Ghetsis's hands then see it all gone."

"Super Serious Gal! You can't give in!" Gold cheerfully smacked Crystal with his pool cue in an attempt to cheer her up. However, Gold being Gold, he accidentally whacked Crystal in the wrong place. Gold started backing away as Crystal turned around and glared at him. "GOLD! YOU PERVERT!"

"I said I'm sorry, it was an accident!" Gold yelped as Crystal started kicking him. "Ow! Ow!"

Diamond, Pearl and Platinum were talking quietly in the corner. Dia was shocked but not angry that his Pokedex had been destroyed like that - Pearl was angry enough for both of them.

"He shouldn't have picked on you!" Pearl raged. "Ghetisis's just a bully!"

"Its okay, Pearl," Dia shrugged. "I'd rather it was me than any of the others - especially Crystal," he added, glancing at the Catcher. The other two followed his gaze and cringed. Crystal was still kicking Gold despite his repeated protests and pleas.

"Diamond, do you want me to transfer my data to your Pokedex? I'm sure Professor Oak can think of something," Platinum offered.

"Missy, you don't have to do that! Anyway the most important thing now is that we think of a solution to save our Pokedexes from Ghetsis," Dia urged.

"It doesn't look like the seniors can think of anything good," Pearl sighed.

"You're telling me!" A voice piped up. The Sinnoh trio looked around and spotted Emerald. The blond boy was fiddling with his extendable hands. "All they've been doing is arguing. Don't even talk to me about Ruby and Sapphire." Emerald rolled his eyes.

"I do hope that the seniors will think of a solution," Platinum said nervously. "They're not going to argue the whole day... right?"

"LISTEN UP PEOPLE!" Blue yelled. All the DexHolders stared at her. She was jumping up and down on the sofa and bellowing into a loudhailer .

"... Blue, that's my sofa you're jumping on," Green said.

"Oops, sorry." Blue stopped jumping but remained on top of the sofa. "Anyway, I, the Great Blue, have come up with a mighty plan!" She blew a kiss to the DexHolders. "Now now, you can stop your applause," she trilled.

"Blue, no one's clapping," Yellow told her.

"Just get on with whatever you're saying," Gold said meekly. He was still aching after Crystal's torture - ahm, _punishment_ - and besides, Crystal stood beside him, ready to smack him if he said or did anything inappropriate again.

"This requires full cooperation from all of us. Including you, you and you," Blue pointed at Green, Silver and Emerald, who glared at her. "If this plan is going to succeed, we only have this one chance to do it. And you may want to look at this." She gestured at a poster on the wall.

It read: CHRISTMAS DANCE AT THE CASTLE!


	2. Omens

**A/N: No people from Unova or Unova Pokemon are involved except for Ghetsis and N, since I'm unclear about that region. Also, Ghetsis's house is situated in Sinnoh in this story. This chapter is kind of like a filler chapter... sorry about that. Doesn't focus on Aliasshipping at all D: mostly Feelingshipping. Don't worry, more next chapter. **

** DISCLAIMER: I do not own Pokemon or Pokemon Special :'(**

* * *

"I don't think this is going to work out," Emerald muttered, looking disdainfully at the suit and green tie Blue had manhandled him into. "Your plan sucks."

"Now, Emerald! Don't say that!" Blue chirped, playfully ruffling Emerald's hair. Emerald gave a yelp as his carefully-gelled hair started to fall apart. "Watch it!" he yelled, batting away Blue's hands.

"Where are the others?" Silver asked quietly. "Why are we the only ones here?" He too was wearing a black suit with a silver tie that matched his eyes. He glanced at Blue, who was dressed in a slinky short black dress. "There's no need for me, or Emerald actually."

Blue rolled her eyes. "I told you, I need the two of you to coordinate things! This is the only chance we've got, and we have to take it. So stop complaining and get ready to your assigned positions when it starts. We still have to wait for the others to arrive." She clicked her tongue impatiently. "Hey, there's Gold and Crystal!" Blue waved cheerfully at the two Johto people arriving on their Typoloshion and Meganium.

"Why did you make me ride my Meganium all the way here, Gold?" Crystal screeched. She was wearing a sparkly silver dress which looked slightly crumpled from the ride. Her blue hair was down and curled around her shoulders instead of her usual gravity-defying hairstyle. She looked really pretty, but the image was slightly spoiled by her getting ready to kick Gold.

"Crystal, you're wearing a dress, not shorts," Blue reminded her. "Anyway, you look really nice!"

"Thanks," Crystal smiled, before focusing on Gold. "You cheapskate! You just ruined the dress Ruby made for me! At the very least you could have ordered a cab," she said scathingly.

"What could I do? I ran out of cash, unless you wanted to sponsor me," Gold shrugged. "I gave you a sweet potato, didn't I?"

"That's it." Crystal drew in a deep breath and... wow. Blue could actually see a dark, scary aura surrounding her. Blue started to back away nervously. Likewise, Silver and Emerald beat a hasty retreat.

"Gold? You might want to run," Silver suggested. Gold shot a look at Crystal who was approaching him with slow, silent footsteps like a predator stalking its prey.

"Super Serious Gal, I was just joking," Gold laughed nervously, putting up his hands in a 'surrender' position while taking a few steps away from her. "Don't kill me? You'll ruin that pretty dress."

"Your _face_ will be ruined when I'm done with you!" Crystal took off after Gold, who started running away, jumping over bushes and the like. Within seconds, the two of them had disappeared from sight.

"Come back, you two! You're spoiling everything!" Blue yelled in frustration. She shook her head irritably. They were wrecking her genius plan. She gave a sigh and looked at her phone. Why won't the others here yet?

* * *

The doorbell rang.

"Coming!" Yellow advanced nervously down the stairs. She wasn't used to such high-heeled shoes and she didn't want to fall down and dirty the dress. She glanced at herself in the mirror and almost fainted. Why had she let Ruby persuade her into this?

"Hi, Re- Green?" Yellow squeaked in surprise. Instead of a raven-haired, crimson-eyed boy, the Virdian Gym Leader was at the door instead, dressed in a suit and an emerald tie. "Wh-what are you doing here?" she stuttered. "Where's Red?"

"Red's down with the flu, so he sent me here as a replacement to take you," Green replied.

"Oh." Yellow couldn't help feeling crushed. After all, she had been looking forward to today, ever since Red had asked her to go with him. She had made so much effort to look pretty, but it looked like Red wouldn't even be here to see her.

"I know you'd rather have Red, but if its any consolation... I think you look beautiful," Green said awkwardly, running his fingers through his hair.

Yellow blushed slightly. Her disappointment was that obvious? "No, its okay Green, I don't mind," she said hurriedly, not wanting to make Green feel bad. "I mean you aren't Red, but that doesn't mean you're not nice, I don't prefer Red over you of course, its just that he promised me he'd take me out but it looks like he's sick so I guess I'll go with you instead... what?" she trailed off as she noticed Green's amused expression.

"I think I get your point." Green raised his eyebrows at her. "Ready?" He offered his hand to Yellow and led the way to his car, thinking about how Yellow viewed him.

_I'm just a replacement... I've always been a replacement..._

"Is anything wrong?" Yellow asked, noting Green's distant expression as he got into the car.

"Nothing." Green shook himself and started driving. "Lets go."

_Silhouette..._

* * *

"Finally! You're here! Everyone else has arrived!" Blue called out to Yellow as she alighted from Green's car. Blue glanced back at the other DexHolders. The Sinnoh trio had arrived, then Ruby and Sapphire and lastly Yellow and Green? Blue blinked. "What happened to Red?"

"He's down with the flu," Green told her. "He sent me instead."

"Oh," Blue sighed. "Can't be helped." Her eyes focused on Yellow. "Yellow!" she squealed. "You look _gorgeous_!"

Yellow flushed and looked at her dress. "Are you sure? I thought it was too short."

"A dress designed by me is never too short, nor is it too long, it is precisely what I mean it to be," Ruby announced dramatically. "And you, Yellow, look perfect today!" Yellow was wearing a 'Christmas' sleeveless white dress with red edging and her hair was pinned half up, half down leaving soft blonde waves around her shoulders. Her dress had a cute little mistletoe design on the top and she wore dainty white shoes.

"This outfit is perfect!" Crystal exclaimed. "Yellow, you look so sweet and elegant!"

"Thank you Crystal. And thank you, Ruby," Yellow bowed. "Thanks for designing all our outfits!"

"No problem." Ruby waved a hand dismissively. "With this, my fashion talent may get noticed at last!" His eyes gleamed.

"Idiot!" Sapphire smacked him. "We're not supposed to get noticed!" The brunette was wearing a deep blue ocean dress that matched her sapphire eyes.

"Okay, about the plan!" Blue clapped her hands together for attention. "Project N."

"Don't you think that's kind of obvious?" Pearl rolled his eyes. "Seriously, that's the guy's name."

"Come on Pearl, no one will notice," Blue said exasperatedly. "Anyway, our main objective is to find N, Ghetsis's son. According to sources, Ghetsis will only listen to N's opinion. So we have to find N and ask him to persuade his father to change his mind about taking our Pokedexes. If that fails -" Blue gulped. "We kidnap N and hold him hostage in exchange for the Pokedexes."

"You can't just kidnap people like that," Gold said incredulously. "People will hate us! Ghetsis will probably guess its us and make it public that we kidnapped his son!"

"Exactly," Blue nodded. "That's why its a last resort. I hope that Plan A will work out. We have to befriend N and convince him to change Ghetsis's mind. And the only chance we're going to get is here." She looked up at the tall castle towering over them. "The Christmas dance, _the _event of the year, hosted by Ghetsis at Snowpoint City. For the first time, N will be here at the dance. This is the only time he's been out of his house - in other words, we only have this one chance, this once-in-a-lifetime shot, to find him. Any questions?"

"I don't get it," Ruby was puzzled. "How did we even manage to get into the dance?"

"Platinum took care of it." Blue gestured at the heiress, who was in an elegant purple dress.

Platinum smiled. "Yes, the Berlitz family always attends such important events."

"Won't Ghetsis guess it is us?" Green asked. "I mean, Platinum is a DexHolder after all..."

"That's where I come in," Emerald said. He and Crystal released their Mr Mimes. "They will be influencing Ghetsis's mind from outside the castle, in order to make him forget about the DexHolders."

"The rest of us will be inside dancing. Oh, and try not to get noticed so much," Blue added. "Just in case the Pokemon moves don't work and Ghetsis does remember us. Ready?"

The DexHolders all nodded decisively. Yellow stared at the huge castle, wondering if the plan would succeed. She couldn't help feeling nervous and somehow one thought came to her.

_If I step forward, my entire life will be changed._

Yellow felt shaken by the intensity of the fact. Her feet were somehow rooted to the ground and goosebumps broke out on her flesh. She breathed in deeply and forced herself to walk. _Just one night..._

"Coming?" Green glanced back at her and gently took her hand. Yellow felt warmth spread through her body at Green's contact with her, and she intertwined her fingers with his.

"Don't worry, I won't let you go," Green promised.

As she followed Green through the door, Yellow glanced up at the starry night and found a sign - a shooting star, blazing through the sky.

Whether it was a good or bad sign, she didn't know.

* * *

**A/N: Heehee, Lord of The Rings pun :P And the last part is kind of taken from WarriorCats Series, Bluestar's Prophecy. I don't own either.**


	3. Contact

"This place is really big," Yellow breathed as she stared around the high, arching ceilings, the crystal chandeliers, the food laid out on pristine white tables, and of course, the high-class people mingling around all dressed in their best clothes. She felt rather out of place among the soft murmur of the people as they discussed their latest vacation to Hoenn's Battle Frontier or Johto's Goldenrod City. For a girl who had spent practically her whole life in Viridian or Kanto, she had never really travelled, preferring the Virdian Forest to the hustle and bustle of cities. She looked at the other DexHolders and noted their shocked expressions. Even Blue seemed rather daunted by the grandeur of it all. Platinum, on the other hand, appeared unfazed and totally calm.

"Are you sure this is our type of thing, Missy?" Diamond asked worriedly. "It seems too posh for us..."

"How can people actually live in such things?" Sapphire shook her head in disbelief. "Don't they find all these walls so confinining?"

"The Christmas Dance is always a big deal," Platinum informed them. "Its the night where everyone who's anyone is here. Coincidentally, its our best chance to execute our plan."

"Just remember what I said - find N without drawing attention to yourselves. We are at a dance after all, and it'll look weird if we stand here too long." Blue took Silver's hand. "Let's dance." She led him out onto the dance floor where couples were twirling in time to the music.

Gold turned to Crystal. "Want to dance?" he offered. Crystal hesitated slightly before taking his hand and following him into the dance crowd.

"Gold," Crystal hissed. "Are you sure you know how to dance?"

"Of course," Gold replied. "I dance a lot... at home... by myself... to LMFAO songs. Everyday I'm shufflin'."

"That's not dancing!" Crystal rolled her eyes.

"Yes it is," Gold insisted. "I can shuffle. Look!" He started moving his head to an invisible beat while shuffling on the ground.

"Stop it! Everyone's looking at us," Crystal whispered. The couples nearest to them had turned and were staring at them disapprovingly. Crystal caught snatches of "what does he think he's doing" "such uncouth behaviour" "what a rude thing to do at the dance". Mortified, Crystal grabbed Gold's hand and dragged him to the side, her face burning.

"Hi Crystal," Yellow said. "Not dancing?"

"I can't dance with this idiot," Crystal sighed. "He started _shufflin'_ and everyone stared at us. This dance is not my kind of thing. I'm too embarrassed I'll slip up. Besides, why aren't you two dancing?" She looked at Green and Yellow..

"I can't dance either," Yellow admitted.

"I'll guide you. You don't need to worry, I'm a good dancer," Green reassured her. "Please?" His emerald eyes burned into Yellow's eyes and for a moment, Yellow lost her breath. A faint flush started creeping up her neck. Since when had Green grown so handsome? For years, she had known that she'd always like Red. She'd thought that only Red could make her feel this way - like her skin was tingling all over every time he looked at her. But now, _Green _of all people, the boy she thought of as a brother, was making her feel this way. Yellow felt slightly dazed by the rush of emotions she was feeling.

"O-okay," she managed, blushing hard. Green gave a small smile as he led her onto the dance floor and started dancing. Yellow was nervous at first, but she could see that Green was right. He was a good dancer and she simply had to follow his lead. And the whole time, she couldn't help feeling little sparks at their contact, where he held her hand lightly, where his fingers rested on her back...

"That wasn't so hard," Yellow commented as they took a break for some refreshments.

"See? I told you to trust me," Green said.

Yellow spotted Diamond and Pearl and waved happily at them. "Hey guys!"

Diamond came over, his eyes shining. "This food is magnificent!" he said blissfully. Diamond was holding plates filled with various delicacies and sampling them one by one. Pearl looked rather uncomfortable in his suit and he kept fidgeting with the tie.

"Where's Platinum?" Green asked.

"Oh, she's talking with some other rich people," Pearl said dismissively. He lowered his voice before asking, "Any luck with Project N?"

Yellow shook her head. "We haven't seen him at all." She glanced at the empty throne-like chair on a pedestal at the far end of the room. "Why isn't he here?"

"Beats me," Pearl shrugged. "Dia! Stop eating! I've just thought of a new double act!"

"Shoudn't we look for him? I mean, our plan will fail if we don't find him," Yellow questioned.

"There's nothing we can do about it," Green said. "We'll seem suspicious if we go around the castle snooping." Yellow nodded as she saw the logic of what Green was saying. There was nothing they could do for now. She and Green headed into the crowd to dance again.

This time, the song was faster. Yellow struggled to keep up with the quick tempo and she kept stepping on Green's feet. Red-faced, she apologized several times but Green merely chuckled and assured her it was alright. Yellow started to get tired as the dance continued... _How can people dance to this? _she thought. Her shoes were beginning to make her feet ache and the heels were hindering her balance.

"I'm sorry!" Yellow stumbled and crashed into another girl behind her, knocking her to the ground. The brunette stood up and shouted angrily at Yellow. "What do you think you're doing here if you can't even dance properly? Go home!"

"I'm... I'm so sorry!" Yellow stammered, tears forming in her eyes. "It was an accident!"

"You don't have the right to be here," the girl sneered. "People like you don't belong here! How _dare _you show your face at an event like this!" She raised her hand to slap Yellow. "You should be punished!"

"Stop."

Out of the blue, Green caught the girl's hand as she was about to hit Yellow's face. The girl started in surprise and Yellow gasped in shock. "Green!"

"We apologize for the incident," Green stated firmly. "However, I cannot allow you to lay hands on my date." He gave the brunette his famous 'Green stare' and she backed away from Green, who was still clutching her hand firmly.

"Green, let her go," Yellow pleaded softly. Green glanced at her tear-stricken face and immediately let the brunette go. He placed his arm around Yellow and led her to the side. "Are you okay?" he asked, gently wiping the tears on Yellow's face with his hand.

"N-no, I'm not," Yellow sobbed. "Didn't you hear what she said? I shouldn't be here! I don't belong here." She pressed her face into Green's jacket, crying, and felt his arms wrap comfortingly around her. Yellow recalled the harsh glares of the people surrounding her, mocking her, laughing at her...

"Shh, its okay," Green told her. "Don't mind her words."

"I can't... can't stay here any more," Yellow sniffed. "I'm sorry, Green, but I... I just can't." She couldn't bear to be around these rich and classy people who expected her to act like them. Yellow wrenched herself free from Green and pushed her way through throngs of people. She ran up a staircase and tripped, leaving one of her shoes behind. Yellow picked herself up and started running again.

"Yellow!" Green called. He started chasing the blond girl as she made her way quickly up the stairs. Green sprinted up to the top floor and stared around in disbelief.

Yellow was gone.

* * *

"Yellow! Where are you?" Yellow could hear Green shouting from outside and she buried her face in her hands. She wanted so badly to go outside and be with him, but she couldn't. She couldn't do it. Raw humiliation washed over Yellow as she thought of she had embarrassed herself, probably ruining the plan. _I'm not going back_, she decided. _I'll stay here until the party's over. I won't cause any more trouble._ Yellow had managed to find a little door that led to a room with another staircase, and she hid herself in it before Green could find her.

"This place has too many staircases..." Yellow muttered to herself as she trudged up the stairs. Fed up with her remaining shoe, she wrenched it off and and left it near the door. She could smell fresh air as she neared the top. Eagerly, she quickened her pace and opened the door at the top.

The first thing Yellow felt was the _cold_. Outside, the wind rushed through her carefully-styled hair, whipping up her dress and stinging her skin. Her breath came out in little white puffs as she gazed at the starry night sky. Apparently she had found the roof of the castle. Yellow carefully walked to the edge and sat down, watched the Volbeat and the Illumise dance across the night sky. Despite the cold that was biting at her, she relaxed as she watched the familiar sight of Pokemon in nature. Yellow closed her eyes and enjoyed the way she felt totally at home and at peace.

"What are you doing here?"

* * *

Green was frantically searching for Yellow. How could she disappear so fast? He cursed as he headed down the stairs, shoulders slumped with disappointment. He didn't know Yellow had been so hurt by the comments and mockery of the rich-class people.

_We should never have come_.

Green felt his heart sink as he remembered the crushed look in Yellow's eyes - he could practically sense her spirit retreating and dimming. He tensed as he thought of how the brunette had mercilessly picked on Yellow, sensing her weak demanour and even going as far as attempting to slap her. Green knew that what he was feeling was just a brotherly instinct. After all, he thought of Yellow as a little sister, and if everyone tried to harm her, he would defend her... right? He wasn't so sure about that anymore.

He couldn't help noticing the way her gold eyes lit up whenever she thought of something happy. The way a smile would unexpectedly flick across her face. The way she preferred to be in the forest, just dozing off and helping the Pokemon rather than most girls he knew. The way she blushed easily and the way she found happiness in the smallest things.

He didn't know why he was feeling this way, but lately he had been feeling _jealous _when Yellow talked to him about Red. During their training sessions, Yellow would sometimes ask for comfort or advice about his best friend. He knew that she liked Red and Green would do whatever it took to make Yellow happy.

Even if it meant giving her up to Red.

So Green put on a fake smile and said the right things, told her that Red would eventually notice her, told her that she was perfect enough for Red, his best friend, his rival, the one who everyone liked. He said that he was happy for her that she was becoming closer to Red. "I'm so happy for you."

Maybe if he repeated the lie enough times, he'd start to believe it himself.

* * *

Yellow jumped up and quickly scanned the area for anyone. She gawked as she found herself looking at a tall boy. The boy had long green hair tied up in a ponytail and light green eyes. He wore a hat and was wearing a jacket and pants with sneakers. He didn't seem like he belonged to the party, yet what else was he doing here?

"Who are you?" Yellow asked.

"You didn't answer my question," the boy pointed out. "What are you doing here? Without shoes?"

Yellow glanced down at her bare feet and flushed. "Its a long story."

"Did you come from the party?" Yellow nodded in response. She expected him to inquire further, but to her surprise he simply shrugged and sat down on the ground. Yellow sat next to him carefully and peeked at him. Who was he?

"You didn't answer my question either. Who are you?" Yellow said curiously.

"Its a long story." The boy threw her answer back at her.

Frustrated, Yellow gave up and the two of them stared at the Pokemon in utter silence. The winter scenery was beautiful, but she couldn't help feeling intrigued by the strange boy beside her. She was pretty sensitive to others' feelings (people and Pokemon) because of her abilities, but right now the only emotion that was being emitted from the boy was ... loneliness. _I'm always alone._

"I can't dance, so I ended up crashing into someone. That someone scolded me and I was really upset and ran away. Somehow, I found my way up here but while running, I lost my stupid shoes," Yellow confessed.

"I see." The boy glanced at her. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes, thanks," Yellow sighed. To be honest, she was feeling a little - no, very cold - considering it was winter and she was sitting on a rooftop wearing a sleeveless dress. She shivered and rubbed her arms to try and warm herself up. "Oh!" she exclaimed in surprise. The boy had placed his jacket around her shoulders and Yellow snuggled happily into the jacket. "Th-thanks."

"You looked cold," he replied.

"Aren't you cold?" Yellow fretted. The boy was only wearing a shirt and pants. He had to be freezing.

"I'm used to it, don't worry about me," he said. "Now be quiet, you're disturbing the Pokemon." Yellow looked at the Volbeat and the Illumise and saw he was correct. Their relatively loud conversation had caused the Pokemon to fly in different directions. Yellow immediately quietened down and watched the Pokemon resume their normal patterns. However, there was one Illumise that couldn't seem to fly properly. It kept darting around in shorts bursts, throwing the other Pokemon off track "Is she hurt?" Yellow said, getting up for a closer look. The Illumise's wings faltered and it started plummeting towards the ground.

"Kitty!" Yellow sent out her Butterfree. The Butterfree rushed to the Illumise and managed to catch the small Bug Pokemon. It carefully carried the Illumise back to Yellow, who examined it. The Illumise had a torn wing and Yellow winced at the wound.

"I bet humans did this to it," the boy muttered as he stood and looked the Illumise.

Yellow didn't understand the boy's strange statement, but she'd figure it out later. She placed her hand over the Illumise's wing and concentrated on letting the power of the Viridian Forest flow through to her hand, encouraging the wing to heal and stitch back together. "What are you doing!" she heard the boy yelp as he attempted to pull her hand away. Yellow's eyes widened. "Let go of me!" She shook his hand off her.

"You were trying to hurt it further!" the boy said incredulously. "How could you?"

"I wasn't trying to harm it! I was healing it!" Yellow snapped. "Look!" She gestured at the wings of the Illumise which were now fully healed. The Illumise happily spun and did a couple of loop-the-loops, before fluttering back to Yellow and nuzzling her affectionately. "Aww, thanks," Yellow smiled. "Be careful, okay?" The Illumise flew off to join the other Pokemon.

The boy's mouth fell open. "Who...what...how?"

"I come from the Viridian Forest in Kanto," Yellow explained. "I have special powers, such as being able to heal Pokemon and reading their minds. Thats why I could heal that Illumise."

"Oh. Anyway, she was hurt by humans, wasn't she?" the boy frowned.

"No she wasn't." Yellow wondered what was with this weird boy and his strange obsession that Pokemon were hurt by humans. "She was being chased by a Swellow and fell into a tree, hence she accidentally ripped her wing."

"Oh." The boy tugged at his hat. Grudgingly he added, "I'm sorry I tried to stop you."

"Its okay." It seemed that apologizing didn't come naturally to this boy. Yellow decided not to pry any further although her mind was burning with questions. However, she knew that all people had a limit, and she wasn't going to push her luck. She stared upwards and grinned. "Hey look, a shooting star!" She pointed.

The boy leaned back on the floor and took off his hat, letting his hair splay out on the ground. "Shooting stars are really common around Christmas," he said. Yellow copied him and lay down, feeling rather dazzled by the many shooting stars that were streaking through the clear night sky.

"Did you know they are actually falling meteors? They burn and crash to the ground," he told her.

"That's amazing." Yellow stared up in wonder. "So when we wish upon a shooting star, we're actually wishing upon a dead chunk of rock."

The boy gave a small chuckle, but the happy sound was gone quickly, replaced by his usual stony expression. He focused on the shooting stars and ignored Yellow. She sighed and simply enjoyed the stars twinkling in the velvet night sky, with the occasional shooting star leaving a bright white trail, the hum and buzz of the Pokemon as they danced, and ...

"Wake up. Your boyfriend's looking for you." A soft voice murmured in Yellow's ear. Yellow jumped up and almost screamed. The boy's face was disconcertingly near to hers. She realized that his eyes were pretty - like frosted green - but somehow, there was something icy and dark behind that gaze. He awkwardly stepped back and scratched his hair. "Sorry."

_I fell asleep again? _Yellow noticed that the jacket was wrapped more securely around her. Probably he had done that when she was sleeping. She stood up and handed the jacket back to him. "Thanks. And what do you mean, my boyfriend?" she added.

"He's been calling your name from behind the door," the boy said. "I locked the door, so if you want to go, just open it... _Yellow._"

Sure enough, she could hear Green calling for her desperately. A sharp pang pierced her heart as she thought of how worried Green must be. She started walking towards the door. "I... I should go," she murmured.

"Bye, then." The boy seemed totally at ease with her departure.

Was this it? Was this the end of their encounter? Yellow was puzzled by the strong reluctance she felt to open the door. She hesitated with her hand still on the doorknob.

"Aren't you going to go?" the boy said.

"I don't want... I... when can I see you again?" Yellow blurted out, immediately regretting her words. She silently cursed herself for being so impulsive and embarassing herself. The boy's eyes widened and he simply stood there, as if unsure how to respond.

Yellow waited a while longer, then turned to leave. It looked like he was rejecting her. No surprise there. As she was opening the door, she heard her name being called. "Yellow?"

"I'd like that." For the first time, a smile broke out on the boy's face. He pressed a piece of paper into her hand, and just as quickly, he was gone. Yellow blinked. She couldn't see any trace of him - it was like he had vanished into thin air. She opened the door.

* * *

"Where have you been?! Do you know how worried I was?" Green's voice was cracking, like he was close to crying. Yellow gaped at him in surprise. Green _never _cried.

"I'm sorry Green!" she apologized. "I guess I was really upset, so I ran up here to hide." She gently hugged Green, trying to comfort him.

"You made me so worried," Green sighed. "Don't ever do that again. Are you okay now?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. I think I just needed some time to cool off," Yellow said. "I'm sorry to make you so worried. I'll never do it again,".

"I'm just glad you're safe. By the way, I have your shoes." Green held up her pair of high-heeled shoes. Yellow grimaced as she slipped her feet into the shoes and started walking down the stairs.

"Yellow, are you sure you're okay?" Green frowned. "You seem a little... tense."

"I'm okay," Yellow replied automatically. "Is the party over?"

"Not yet, but Blue told us all to go home. Apparently N didn't appear."

"So that's it? We've failed?" Yellow squeaked. "But our Pokedexes!" She clutched Green's arm despairingly. "We're going to lose them!"

"Blue's working out another plan. Yellow, calm down." Green squeezed her hand reassuringly. Yellow smiled as the feeling of peace that she always got around Green stole over her. She followed him as he led the way down the stairs and out of the castle.

"The other DexHolders are all gone," Yellow noted.

"I stayed behind to look for you," Green answered, opening the car door. Yellow turned back to look at the magnificient white castle. The turrets stretched high into the sky, and it was very beautiful... but very cold. Her heart clenched. Anyone who stayed there must be so lonely, forever surrounded by icy walls. Her eyes focused on the roof and for a moment, she fancied she saw a flash of green hair, but it quickly disappeared.

That night, Yellow couldn't sleep well. She kept staring at the crumpled piece of paper she held in her hand, the eight numbers scribbled on it. She could practically memorize the numbers by now. Yellow picked up the phone and started to dial the number, her finger hesitating when she came to the last digit. What was she doing, calling some stranger she had just met? She quickly put the phone down and switched off the light, burying herself under the covers. If she went to sleep, everything would seem better in the morning.

Yellow didn't dream of red eyes anymore. Instead, she dreamt of green eyes - in two different shades of green.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for not updating sooner! In return, here's the super long chapter. This was a pretty difficult chapter to write and my writing may seem kind of stilted.**


	4. Storm

**A/N: Hello! I'm sorry for the really long wait but I suddenly didn't have any inspiration to continue. So apologies for those of you who have been waiting for this new chapter, here you go! Its Aliasshipping this time :) I really like Yellow x N and Yellow x Green... Can't decide between the two, will see how it goes as the story progresses :D**

**Clarification about the DexHolders' Location: Currently they are in Sinnoh, Snowpoint City at one of Platinum's resorts. Before that they were at their different houses, but after the dance they all went to Platinum's place to chill.**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN POKEMON SPECIAL :'(**

* * *

"He...hello?"

"Who's this?"

"I'm Yellow. You know, we met at the party last night?" Yellow tried to sound confident, but her voice became unnaturally high-pitched and squeaky. She berated herself for acting so nervous.

"Oh, hi." The boy didn't seem to be interested in the phone call.

"So you gave me your number, and I was wondering if we could maybe, erm, go out or something?" Yellow suggested.

"Go out?"

_Oh no,_ Yellow thought, _I just made a big mistake... He's rejecting me... _"Yeah, we could eat lunch," she said.

"Where?"

"Umm... I don't know... you could suggest a place, since you live here..."

There was a long silence on the other end, and Yellow considered the possibility that he had hung up on her. Just as she was about to put the phone down, she heard him speak. "I've... never actually gone out of my house," he admitted quietly.

"Are you _serious_?" she gasped. "You mean you've never left your house? Not even once?"

"Nope, that's why I can't think of any place to go. I'm okay with anywhere," the boy said.

"Lake Acuity." Yellow said the first thing that came to her mind as she stared out of her window. "We could go ice skating."

"You'll have to teach me, and lend me a pair of skates," he reminded her.

"No problem, I'll help you," Yellow smiled. "One o' clock today?"

"Sure, Yellow. Thanks," the boy answered. "I really appreciate it. Goodbye."

"Hey, wait! You never told me your name," Yellow realized.

"My name is..." The boy hesitated again, and Yellow had to strain her ears to catch his next word. "N." There was a click and the line disconnected.

Yellow stood open-mouthed holding the receiver, slowly replacing it back onto the table. _I'm in big trouble..._ The boy she had met last night, the nice boy who had actually taken care of her, was the son of Ghetsis, the person seeking to destroy the DexHolders and take away her Pokedex? Yellow couldn't figure out how such a nice guy, N, could be the son of that rich evil cruel mastermind who simply wanted to take over the whole world like Giovanni had tried to do. Chuchu tugged at her hand nervously. With a start, Yellow saw that her fists had become clenched and she was breathing hard. Her Pokemon rattled in the Pokeballs, sensing their trainer's spirit firing up. Yellow took deep breaths to calm herself down before spinning on her heel to go out of the room. She needed to find Blue.

* * *

"Are you serious?" The next morning, Blue was practically jumping up and down in joy. "The guy you met at the party... and you're going out with him later... is N?"

"Yes, and Blue, please calm down!" Yellow pleaded. "I don't want anyone else to hear you."

"But Yellow, this is great news!" Blue took Yellow's hands excitedly. "I mean, my plan worked after all, and Gold has to give me his 500 PKD! Heard that, Gold?" she screamed. "YOU OWE ME!"

"Blue... wait... stop... don't go spreading this around!" Yellow said, her words coming out of her mouth too late. Blue looked at her and mouthed, "Oops." Yellow sighed as doors started slamming open and the DexHolders started streaming into the kitchen, some blinking sleepily (Gold, Emerald) and others looking pissed (Green, Silver, Ruby).

"What's going on?" Ruby demanded. "You guys interrupted my beauty sleep! I need to sleep exactly 9 hours a day to maintain my perfect skin or I might look tired, or worse," he shuddered, "I'll get eyebags."

"And what do you mean, I'll have to pay you?" Gold asked. "I won the bet after all," he reminded Blue.

"There's where you're wrong," Blue smirked triumphantly. She pushed Yellow in front of Gold, cackling like a maniac the whole time. "Because while you were making a fool of yourself at the dance, our sweet Yellow here has actually befriended N! And she's _going out_ with him later," she added with a relish.

The effect on the DexHolders was instantaneous... and weird.

Crystal squealed, "You saved my Pokedex!" and shook Yellow's hand very tightly. Gold's eyes widened and he thumped Yellow on her back, almost causing the poor girl to choke. Green's eyebrows shot right up into his spiky hair and he crossed his arms, frowning slightly. Ruby was happily announcing to all who would listen (ie zero people) that it was _his _dress that had N notice Yellow and make friends with her. Sapphire was beside him, smacking him whenever he tried to persuade Platinum that she should definitely sell his dress in her family's stores. Silver simply leaned against the wall. The three Sinnoh DexHolders had mixed expressions of joy and fear at their seniors' strange behaviour.

"Congratulations, Senior Yellow," Platinum smiled. "It seems that Blue's plan did succeed."

"Thank you," Yellow blushed. "I only got to know him slightly though."

"Ahem, Gold." Blue had cornered Gold and held her hands out for the money. "Our little bet...?"

"Your plan hasn't succeeded yet," Gold retorted. "We still need to see how Yellow's date goes."

"Details, details," Blue yawned. "Thanks for the money." Gold looked to see Blue holding his wallet and retrieving some notes from it. She grinned at him and tossed the now-empty wallet back.

In the midst of all this commotion, Green had edged closer to Yellow. "Hey," he greeted her. Yellow started slightly to hear his voice so close to her. "I guess it happened when you ran away? What happened?" Green said.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," Yellow muttered, abashed. "I'm really sorry I made you worry and that I lied to you. I just met him on the rooftop. I don't think he likes being at parties. We didn't really talk much... but I helped to heal an Illumise, and he was pretty shocked by my powers. Oh, and I fell asleep," she said sheepishly.

"You seemed happier," Green pointed out. "Before that, you were kind of agitated."

"You're not mad at all?" Yellow asked, surprised. "I thought that you would be angry."

"Do you actually want me to be angry?" Green said, turning on his usual glare which would frighten anybody off - but not Yellow. She was the only one who seemed to be immune to his staring power. While the others all ran away screaming that he was going to hunt them, Yellow would sit beside him quietly fishing or playing with her Pokemon. When he'd asked her why, she said that glare or no glare, Green was Green, and he wouldn't hurt anyone.

"Nope," Yellow giggled. "And it doesn't work on me."

Green was about to say something when Blue cut him off. "Yellow!" said Blue happily, shoving Green to the side. "We have to get you ready for your date." Blue clapped her hands together briskly. "Ruby!"

Ruby was by her side in an instant. "Yes, ma'am?"

"Take Yellow and find her an outfit! Style her hair, paint her nails, do whatever you like with her! Basically, she's your human doll for the day," Blue grinned. Ruby's eyes gleamed and he immediately started tugging Yellow up the stairs. "Platinum, Crystal!" Blue continued. "Platinum, help Ruby with the outfit - secure items from your boutiques! Crystal, you'll help the two of them dress Yellow. Remember, the theme is ice-skating." Both juniors nodded and rushed to help Ruby drag the reluctant Yellow.

"Blue," Yellow called out. "I don't think this is a good idea - mmph!" Her voice was muffled as Ruby clapped a hand over her mouth. "No talking, Barbie!" he ordered.

"Blue, Ruby, I -!" The rest of Yellow's sentence was cut off with a high-pitched shriek she was pulled into the bedroom.

"And that's what happens if you try to object to me," Blue proclaimed.

* * *

An hour later, Yellow emerged wearing a light blue sweater and a dark gray skirt with blue leggings. A white scarf was wrapped around her neck, and her hair was up in its usual ponytail. Ruby and the others marched her down the stairs triumphantly. "Behold my creation," Ruby said, gazing at her fondly. Sapphire snorted.

"That's perfect," Blue said appreciatively. "Now Yellow, you do remember the main purpose of this date right?"

"Tell N to persuade Ghetsis not to take our Pokedexes," Yellow recited.

"You've got it! Just try to broach the topic, but do _not _give away the fact that you are a DexHolder. Be your usual self and you'll do fine," Blue told her.

"Got it." Yellow nodded determindedly and headed to the door carrying the skates in a bag, with Chuchu beside her. "You guys promise you won't follow me or anything like that, right?" she asked, looking at the DexHolders suspiciously.

"Of course." Blue shoved her out of the door. "Have fun." The door slammed.

There was a pause as the DexHolders all stared at each other, their gazes slowly turning to Blue. "What?" Blue held up her hands defensively as they closed in on her.

"...Where did you put the tracking device on her?" Gold said.

* * *

Yellow made her way to Lake Acuity, her heart thumping in her chest. She couldn't help sighing as she thought of the DexHolders, all treating her like some life-sized doll and playing dress-up with her. Despite that, they were her closest friends in the world besides Uncle Wilton. They were practically a family to her. In order to protect the family, she knew she had to play her part in going out with N well. Her step faltered. But it just felt _wrong_... to use N like that for one reason, and one reason only. She didn't want to hurt him anymore - his eyes looked like he had seen too much pain.

She ran her fingers through her ponytail, wondering why she was so nervous. It was just N, the nice boy she had met. He was nothing special, and this date wasn't meant to help him or her. _Why does Blue's plan involve hurting someone?_

Her steps quickened as she rounded the last snowbank. She wasn't exactly sure whether N had turned up, _after all, _she reasoned, _he doesn't have to appear even though he said he would, he's the son of a multi-millionaire he wouldn't bother with me..._

"Oh." The word escaped her lips as she spotted N sitting on a bench, dressed in his usual attire (shirt sneakers cap etc). He looked up and waved to her. Yellow approached the bench.

"You made it," she breathed.

"Of course I did." N's face was puzzled. "We agreed, didn't we?"

"I mean... yeah. Of course." Yellow chided herself for sounding so distracted. She turned away and rummaged through her bag, trying to ignore the fact that her face had become flushed and her voice had become squeaky again. She pulled out the skates and passed a pair to N.

"How do you put these on?" N said, removing his shoes.

"Here, I'll help you." Yellow slipped the skates onto his feet and began doing up the laces. All the time, she was aware of N's keen gaze focused on her. Her fingers fumbled; they felt like pieces of wood, unable to move or do anything fast. When she glanced up, N turned away and started playing with his cap, twirling it with his fingers.

"I'm done," Yellow smiled, sitting down to put on her skates. "Thanks." She watched as N struggled to get to his feet, clutching onto the bench for support. His face seemed like he was in mortal terror, and Yellow couldn't help laughing.

"What?" N asked, staring at her amused expression. "You didn't tell me it would be this hard!"

Yellow quickly stood up and offered him her hand. "Take my hand," she said gently. "I'll help you."

N reached out and grasped her hand securely. Yellow couldn't help blushing hard - she'd thought that the only boy's hand she would enjoy holding was Red. Yet N's fingers were solid and warm, and they seemed to radiate warmth even through the gloves. She pushed away the thought and led N onto the now-frozen Lake Acuity.

"How do you balance on these things?" N said incredulously. "I mean, really -" He stumbled and Yellow quickly caught him. He pulled away from her grasp, shifting his cap further down to hide his face. "I'm fine. I don't need your help anymore." N released her hand and attempted to move forward, albeit unsuccessfully. Sighing, Yellow skated forward. How could any boy have such a split personality - warm and caring one moment, yet so cold the next?

"Look, hold on to my hands and I'll help you." Yellow took hold of N's hands and started skating backwards around the rim of the lake. N was inititally startled, but he started to wear a look of nervous excitement. He began to move his feet from side to side, trying to find his balance. Yellow let go of him and skated alongside him, watching as N managed to move forward.

"I'm doing it!" N said happily. "I'm ice-skating!"

Yellow felt happiness surge through her to see N in such joy. He didn't look like he smiled or laughed a lot, and Yellow, as a Healer, had helped him - that was what she did best.

She skated past N elegantly, doing a figure eight and twirling on one foot. "I can't seem to skate faster," N frowned. "And that's not fair, you didn't teach me that."

Yellow did a couple of loops around him. "That's only for advanced people like me. Aaand, MERRY CHRISTMAS!" she shouted, throwing a snowball flat in his face from where she had been hiding it behind her back. The snowball scattered snow everywhere and N's legs wobbled dangerously. Yellow giggled and skated warily away. Amazingly, the boy was still on his feet, despite it being his first time on skates.

_Two _snowballs were flung at her - one at her feet, one at her chest. Yellow gave a yelp and nimbly dodged the two, before a third one hit her in the back of her head. "Wha-what," she spluttered. She looked back to see an Snover beside N, helping him to throw snowballs at first. "That's not fair!" she protested. "Who said you can use your Pokemon..."

"You can skate better than me, so I need to even up the odds a little," N pointed out. Yellow rolled her eyes and flung another snowball at him. "I can still beat you," she assured him.

"Wanna bet?" N raised an eyebrow, dodging Yellow's snowball and flinging some in return. The Snover worked fast. Yellow could barely keep up with the constant barrage of snowballs, hitting her everywhere and leaving her completely drenched.

"I give up." Yellow buried her face in her hands and hid beneath an overhanging rock "Its too hard..." Her voice trailed away.

"You okay? I'm sorry, Yellow! I didn't mean to be so rough," N said hurriedly, skating over to her. "Yellow...?"

"Now, Chuchu!" N gaped as the massive load of snow on the rock fell down and buried him. For a moment, he didn't move; then his head popped up, blinking and looking utterly shocked.

"I win," Yellow announced.

"For this round," N conceded. He freed his arm and struggled to get up. "Help me?" he groaned. "I can't move."

Yellow bent and clutched N's arm. His eyes flashed and he quickly yanked Yellow down, burying her head-first in the pile of snow. Yellow gasped as she pulled herself free, spitting snow out from her mouth. "That wasn't fair."

N shrugged. "An eye for an eye."

Yellow couldn't help laughing and she lay down on the snow beside N. She hadn't had that much fun for ages. As a DexHolder, she always seemed to be getting into a crisis of some sorts - first with Lance, then the Masked Man, even the Battle Frontier... Relaxation was always interrupted by some trouble or another. _Being a DexHolder changed my life. _Despite all the stress and danger, she wouldn't give up her Pokedex for anything; after all, that was what had helped her find friends and have a family. _Give up the Pokedex_. The words repeated in her head again and Yellow instantly recalled what she was here for. Not to have fun but on a mission.

"So," she said casually. "Tell me about your father. Ghetsis."

* * *

"Finally! I thought she'd never mention it," Blue said impatiently. The other DexHolders and her were hiding behind the bushes, where had they had been for the past hour, keeping an eye on N and Yellow. Blue shifted her cramped legs from her curled up position among the snow. Arceus, it was cold. She was thankful that the youngest DexHolders - the Sinnoh trio - had decided to stay at the resort, if not Platinum would probably sue her or something.

"Can I go home?" Gold complained. "I'm like, freezing here." The black-haired boy was huddling next to his Typhlosion. "Blue, next time you want to spy on someone, do it alone and don't drag me along."

"I agree," Emerald said. "This is a complete waste of my time. Crystal and I were supposed to be conducting research on Sinnoh's Pokemon."

"Shut up, everyone! They're talking about _it_!" Blue warned. A hush fell over the group as Blue fiddled with her mini-speaker. It was connected to the microphone embedded into Yellow's sweater. Yellow's voice came out clearly. "... your father?"

"He's a nice man," N replied.

Yellow racked her mind for something else to say. "Is he your only family?"

"Yeah, we take care of each other. I love him a lot," N said. "He's the nicest dad in the world. He always takes care of me and lets me play with the Pokemon... except..."

"What?" Yellow asked curiously.

"The Pokemon... they're always hurt by humans. Why must humans be so cruel and terrible? Every single time I see them, they've been mistreated by their trainers, bullied and forced to work with no food. Humans shouldn't be allowed to train Pokemon. All we do is bring more suffering to them." N was getting rather worked up.

"Not every human is like that! I love my Pokemon and I'd never mistreat them," Yellow told him. "I'm a Healer. I hate hurting Pokemon, even in battles."

"You may be the exception, but I bet the rest of the Pokemon trainers don't think that way," N said bitterly. "Do you think Pokemon are actually happy, forced to be in Pokeballs and worked like slaves? They should be allowed to run free. People say their Pokemon are happy; yet all we did was wrench them from their homes and family."

"... I see. I never thought of it that way," Yellow said. Her mind flew to her Pokemon - were they happy? Were Chuchu, Kitty, Dody and the rest happy? Did they pretend to be happy but secretly they were longing for their homes in the wild? She started to think that maybe N's words had some logic. After all, not every Pokemon trainer treated their Pokemon nicely; she had seen her fair share of Pokemon who were mistreated and injured. And that was what Lance had fought for, for a Pokemon utopia...

"You see? My father told me about this group of people called the DexHolders, who supposedly hold a Pokedex."

A gasp ran around the crowd listening avidly to Blue's speaker. Blue hurriedly shushed them and turned up the volume.

"Apparently they think they're so big, owning a Pokedex, and going around saving the world. My father says that its just a fluke, they just want to become famous and take credit for others' deeds."

"That little..." Sapphire growled. "I'll take credit for the deed I'm going to do to him, indeed."

"Even if they really did save the world," N said mockingly, "what about the damages they did? They destroyed dozens of natural habitats without even caring, driving Pokemon away from their homes. They claim to save, but all they do is destroy."

Yellow was stunned for a moment. She'd never thought about the harm the DexHolders had brought about while fighting the evil teams. She recalled the Sevii Islands being destroyed in the fight against Team Rocket, the destruction for the Indigo Plateau, the Hoenn Saga... The rebuilding could restall the damaged structures, but what about the innocent Pokemon that had been caught in the crossfire?

"But we- I mean they were fighting against evil people who wanted to obliterate the region. They were fighting to help the people," she answered.

"I don't know, but I feel their methods are wrong. There must be a way to create and save without destroying something first," N said. He sighed and sat up, running his fingers through his hair. "Why must we always fight?"

Yellow was about to answer him when a Snover suddenly plopped itself in front of N. N gave a small chuckle and patted the Snover. Yellow recognized it; it was the Snover that had helped N during their snowball fight. "Is that your Pokemon?" she asked, trying to get a closer look.

"Nope, its wild."

"Then why did it help you?" Yellow reached out her hand and the Snover nuzzled it happily.

"Pokemon always like to help me," N stated. "All those Pokemon that my father brought in... they usually became very attached to me."

"Interesting," Yellow said. The Snover was pretty friendly, trying to curl up in Yellow's lap. Yellow stroked the Snover before releasing it, watching as it tottered away towards some bushes. She turned her face up to the gray sky. "Its snowing again," she remarked, seeing the white little puffs float down to the ground.

"I guess we'd better go," N said reluctantly. He attempted to stand up - albeit shakily - and the skates weren't helping. N flailed about before toppling over, smack on top of Yellow.

"Sorry." N's face was scarlet-red. "Umm... I..."

Yellow couldn't stop blushing either. His face was just inches from hers, his lips slightly parted and his breath coming out in a white mist. Their eyes locked onto each other and despite the cold, Yellow felt her body starting to heat up and she blushed even harder. His eyes were so green... green like leaves in the springtime, and his hair was the exact same shade too. _If I lean forward further, will he... will we..._

N pushed himself up using his arms and managed to stand up. "Sorry 'bout that," he apologized. Yellow took his arm and they both stood, swaying slightly in the icy wind. N took off his skates and passed them to her.

"...can we meet again?" she whispered.

"I'll call you," N nodded. He reached out and wrapped his arms around Yellow, hugging her warmly. "Bye, Yellow," he murmured into her ear, making the skin there tingle, before walking off. Dazedly, Yellow watched him go, seeing his fading silhouette in the distance

* * *

There were sounds of a scuffle coming from the bushes. Yellow walked over, concerned whether the Snover was okay. Instead, she found a bunch of almost-frozen teenagers who were all curled up in various positions. They looked familiar, and Yellow narrowed her eyes.

"You were _spying _on me?" she exclaimed in horror.

"It was Blue's idea!" Gold was quick to push the blame. "Thanks to her, I'm practically a popsicle now." He sneezed.

"BLUE!" Yellow couldn't help shouting. "You told me you weren't going to follow me!"

"I didn't. I tracked you, I didnt follow you." The brunette smirked at her expression. "Arceus, I thought we were going to die here before you finished talking!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you guys were here," Yellow sighed. So now it was her fault that they were cold? "Is everyone okay?"

"Come on!" Blue snapped her fingers. "Wake up, Yellow's done! Let's go back!" The rest of the Dexholders stirred and started to stretch. Ruby hastily woke up a dozing Sapphire. Green and Silver looked rather irritated. Emerald was hopping around, trying to keep his body warm. Gold was attempting to awake Crystal. "Hey, she's not waking up!" he reported.

"Carry her then," Blue ordered. Grumbling, Gold picked up the sleeping Crystal and hoisted her onto his back. The snow was falling faster now and Yellow could only see the outlines of her companions. The wind whipped at her face and she shivered. The sky, which had been so clear a moment ago, was now obscured by the flakes.

"Abra, Teleport!" In a flash, the DexHolders were surrounded by light, and then they were gone.

* * *

"Wow, its a real storm out there," Pearl commented, peering out of the window at the darkening surroundings. "Do you think the others are okay?"

"They aren't back yet. I hope our seniors are all right," Platinum said nervously.

"Missy, Pearl, come here!" Diamond's voice came from the hall. He sounded rather tense. Platinum and Pearl exchanged a look before rushing out of the room. "What is it, Dia- " Pearl began. "Oh!"

The senior DexHolders were all sprawled in a heap on the rug. As Pearl watched, Silver moaned and pushed Emerald off him. Silver blinked and stood up. "Wha-what?"

The rest of the DexHolders started getting up from their various positions, most of them groaning as they had been piled up. Blue had a sheepish grin on her face. "I guess the Teleport was too strong?"

"Quite obviously," Green retorted. "Blue, for Arceus' sake..."

Blue flushed. "Look, I didn't know it would be so rough either! Remember, this is the first time that Abra had to teleport so many people." She patted the small Pokemon fondly. "Plus I got us out of that blizzard."

"Thanks," Green said grudgingly. "Pesky girl." He turned away and helped Yellow get up. The small girl had been squashed under Crystal, who was surprisingly still asleep.

"Do any of you need help? I can ask Sebastian," Platinum offered.

"I think its okay, we can manage," Ruby replied. He, Sapphire and Emerald started walking towards their rooms.

"'Says you," Gold muttered. He carefully picked up Crystal and headed to her room as well. Silver followed him, trailing in his wake.

"Did everything go okay?" Pearl asked. "I mean, you guys don't seem very happy..."

"It went okay," Yellow yawned. "We'll tell you tomorrow." She, Blue and Green disappeared up the stairs. The Sinnoh trio were left alone, and rather shocked by the seniors' reluctance to discuss the matter.

"Are they mad at us?" Platinum fretted.

"Don't think so. They're probably just tired out from the bad weather," Diamond said reassuuringly. "We should go too." He started herding the other two up the stairs. Platinum followed him reluctantly. Despite Diamond's assurance, she couldn't miss the way senior Yellow had acted so strangely, or why her eyes were practically shining.

Outside, the wind howled.


End file.
